These Are The Worst Motorway Service Stations For Food In Britain

Drivers wanting a quick bite to eat on long journeys love the sight of a motorway service station - but some may want to think carefully where they stop this Bank Holiday.

Inspection reports found 10 locations across that Britain that have food outlets failing to achieve a “good” hygiene standard in recent tests.

Analysis of hygiene ratings found that services in the south-east of England are three times more likely than the rest of Britain to have at least one food business failing to achieve a score of four out of five.

Five out of 23 rest stops (22%) in south-east England fell into this category following tests in the past 18 months.

This is compared to five out of 69 in the rest of Britain (7%).

And two of the M25’s four services - Cobham in Surrey (above) and South Mimms in Hertfordshire - have outlets which scored below four following last year’s inspections in January and June.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) says a rating of four must be achieved for a food outlet to be classed as having “good” hygiene.

Problems include meatballs at a Subway not being kept warm enough and the risk of the potentially deadly E. coli at a branch of the healthy eating chain Tossed.

Welcome Break: South Mimms service station scored low on food hygiene tests (Rex)

Both companies said the issues raised by the inspectors in June last year have since been dealt with.

Steve Gooding, director of motoring research charity the RAC Foundation, said: “Frankly the nation’s 37 million motorists have enough to worry about without adding food hygiene to the list.

"Motorway services are key to using the network safely, providing refuelling facilities for vehicles and travellers alike. We need them to be up to standard.”

Food hygiene expert Sylvia Anderson added: "Motorists should use the FSA’s scoring to determine whether they eat in that establishment.

“Typically, if they are scoring below three then it is not worth the risk especially for families with young children.”

Beaconsfield on the M40 in Buckinghamshire is the only service station found to have an outlet scoring zero, with inspectors warning its branch of The Carvery Express in January that there is "urgent improvement necessary”.

El Mexicana, at the same location, was rated just one out of five in October 2015 - meaning "major improvement necessary”.

Outside of the South East the worst performance is at Peterborough services where an El Mexicana scored just two in September last year.

Most of the affected outlets have stated that they are taking measures to improve food safety measures.

Top pic: Geograph